


A Blupee for Your Smile

by agoldengalaxy



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Link remembering, Regret, Survivor Guilt, dream - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26415214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: Link remembers seeing Zelda smile - or maybe it was merely a dream and nothing else.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 51





	A Blupee for Your Smile

**Author's Note:**

> finished botw for the first time and boy do I have FEELINGS. love these two. can't wait to buy the calamity ganon dlc thingy <3

A warm breeze whipped by, rustling the tall grass and leaves in the trees. The sun was warm and bright; the kind of rays that made you sleepy. Footsteps crunched in the grass.

“Link!”

He opened his eyes slowly, finding himself standing in an open field beside the castle. Zelda was smiling, looking the happiest he’d seen her in weeks, rushing toward him. “You have to see this! Come with me!” 

Grabbing his hand without a second thought, she led him toward the nearby forest, coming to a halt behind a particularly large tree. She let go of his hand, bringing a finger to her lips and crouching down carefully. He, of course, did the same, though he opened his mouth to ask why and was immediately cut off.

“Shhh! We don’t want to scare it off!” she whispered, glaring at him for a moment before turning her gaze forward, just beyond the tree. “There. Do you see it?” He stared at her for a moment, then sighed quietly, following her slight nod, and looked.

A few feet away, there was a strange, blue creature pawing at its nose. It sort of resembled a little rabbit, except it glowed in the shade of the trees. It looked relaxed and clearly hadn’t seen them yet. Link blinked, finding himself unable to look away. “...What is it?”

“Isn’t it magnificent?” Zelda breathed, “No one really knows what it is. The little ones in Korok Forest call it a ‘Blupee’. Apparently, they’ve seen many of them around here. How I’d love to study them!” She deflated just a little. “One day.”

_ When Ganon is gone for good _ , he knew she meant to add. But perhaps she hadn’t wanted to bring their good spirits down so quickly. He knew she had been struggling with self-worth, no matter how many times he tried to convince her that she was doing her best; that she was the most amazing, intelligent woman he’d ever met, not to mention beautiful. He hadn’t ever said that aloud, but it was a constant thought in his mind whenever he looked at her.

The Blupee paused, its little nose twitching as it looked around, as if searching for something. Link found himself watching it quietly, feeling Zelda’s eyes on him instead of on the creature. He couldn’t help but smile, looking back at the princess who quickly averted her gaze as pink dashed her cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it, looking back toward the trees where the Blupee had finally noticed them. It tensed, then ran in the opposite direction, finally disappearing in a puff of blue smoke.

Link slowly got to his feet then, offering his hand toward her. “Maybe we should get you back to the castle. It’s going to be dark soon.” He’d expected her to protest, but tonight, she simply sighed and took his hand gently - hers was soft and warm in his own calloused hand.

“Yes, you’re probably right.” She let him help her to her feet, and for a long moment, they found themselves staring at each other. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of green, her hair flowed easily down her shoulders, and it seemed, for a moment, that they had forgotten to let go of each other’s hands. She gave him a sad smile, then dropped her gaze. “Link. You are the one that has kept me strong these long years. I need you to keep fighting.”

“What?” He frowned, brows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?” Of course he was going to keep fighting. Hyrule needed him. Behind her, the castle was bathed in orange light from the sunset.

Shaking her head, Zelda took a step forward, placing a gentle hand against his cheek. He couldn’t help but lean into the touch. “You’re so close,” she whispered. “I will be waiting for you.” All of a sudden, his vision blurred around the edges. “I’m sorry we do not have more time. But we shall meet again soon, I know we will.” Her voice echoed, and he fell to the ground on all fours. He tried to call out to her, but his voice would not cooperate. “Wake up, Link. Wake up.”

There was darkness, and then a light breeze. The smell of a campfire hung in the air, and there was some muffled humming. He was lying on something soft and there was something lying over him, too. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, blinking the blurriness from his vision as he sat up carefully. 

Link lay inside one of the stables on one of the few beds. He had been tucked in before he had sat up, and beside the bed was his sword, shield, and bow, untouched and laying against the wall. He frowned a little, memories hazy as he reached up to rub his eyes. How had he gotten here, exactly?

“Ah, you’re awake. Here you go, buddy.” He looked up, seeing one of the stable hands approaching him with a smile and a cup. He handed the cup to him carefully, which steamed with some kind of warm liquid.

“...Thank you,” Link replied quietly, taking it from him, hoping he wasn’t supposed to know the man’s name. He took a sip, and warmth immediately spread throughout his body. “What happened?”

The man chuckled, placing his hands on his hips in fists. He looked to be about fifty or so, with kind eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. He spoke with a bit of an accent. “You had a pretty nasty fight with some of them Moblin creatures a few yards away. Your horse brought you here, and I’ve been lookin’ over you since. That steed of yours...she’s real loyal.”

Link blinked a few times, the hazy memories clearing just a little as he listened. “Yes, she is,” he agreed, a little dazed, as he took another few sips and looked up at the stranger. “Thank you. Um…” Panic and dread set in as he looked down at the ripping liquid in the cup. “How long was I out?”

“About a day. You weren’t hurt too bad, just exhausted,” the man explained, chuckling a little. “You really oughtta take it easy out there. Those monsters are no joke.”

“Yeah.” His grip on the cup tightened for a moment, and then he placed it down on the table beside the bed, pulling the blankets off of his legs. He felt sore as he stood up, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d already slept for a hundred years. He didn’t need any more rest. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some rupees, pressing them into the man’s hand. “I’m sorry, this is all I have.”

The man stared down at the rupees, then smiled, returning them into his unwilling hands. “Keep them. You’ll need ‘em more than I will, hero.” When Link gave him a strange look, the man simply laughed. “My pops told me about you when I was a child. I recognized you instantly, and it gave me such hope to see that you are alive after all this time. I have faith in you, young man.” As Link stared, wordlessly, the man placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “Now, on with you. You have work to do, don’t’cha?”

Link swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding numbly, and turned to grab his sword, shield, and bow. When he turned back around, he bowed his head. “Thank you, sir. I will do my very best.”

“Come back and visit whenever you like.” The stranger simply smiled, walking him out toward the grass, where the magnificent white horse whinnied happily upon seeing Link out and about. As Link walked toward the horse, placing a gentle hand on her muzzle, the man cried out. "Wow! Look at that thing!"  Link turned in the direction the man was pointing, blinking in surprise as a Blupee scurried past the stable before dissolving in a puff of blue. "I ain't never seen a creature like that before!"

Link smiled, maybe a little sadly. "It's called a Blupee."

His gaze fell forward, catching a glimpse of Hyrule Castle, surrounded by ugly purple mist, a stark contrast to the warmth he had seen in his dream. Was it merely a memory, or was it a message? Perhaps it was both. He supposed he would never know. All he knew now was that he wasn’t allowed to fail again. He had 100 years ago, but he wouldn’t this time. He couldn’t.

He needed to save Zelda. And he had a second chance.

Taking a deep breath, the hero of Hyrule mounted his horse, glanced over his shoulder, and smiled a little at the stranger. The man smiled back, waving. Link bowed his head, then took hold of the reins.

“Yah!” The horse neighed and galloped toward the rising sun, and the boy didn’t look back.

  
_ Hold on just a little while longer, Zelda,  _ he thought,  _ I’m on my way. _


End file.
